


Future History

by sg_wonderland



Series: Washington Afterlife [4]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-20 06:37:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17017617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sg_wonderland/pseuds/sg_wonderland
Summary: Daniel has the 2AM doubts





	Future History

At 2:08, Daniel gave up trying to sleep. Wrapping his robe tightly around himself, he headed downstairs. Hearing the pitter patter of paws behind him, he turned, “BJ, go back to bed.” The little bulldog simply followed him into the kitchen, slurped some water and sat to watch as Daniel slipped a pod of tea in Jack's coffee maker. Daniel had originally turned up his nose but he found himself using the machine more and more often since it offered both speed and variety.

He added two generous spoonfuls of sugar to his English Breakfast before padding into the living room. The house was quiet, too quiet. Jack had left just after dark last night to fly to Nashville to pick up a live donor, which did make a difference from the organs he usually transported.

But this person was a kidney match who had been found by the Nashville hospital. Jack would fly them to DC where they would stay until they recovered, then they would be flown back.

Daniel was frightened at the thought that he might be getting a hint of his future – rattling around this big house all by himself.

Jack had often pointed out that the house wasn't that big, there were other houses in the division that were much bigger. The Latham-Pryce house for example. When they'd attended the Christmas party there, Jack had groused the whole way there about the pretentiousness of hyphenating one's name; Daniel countered with the innate misogyny of expecting women to erase their cultural footprint by giving up their family name. 

They'd argued, good-naturedly, on the walk over where they'd been stunned by the size of the house. Jack quipped that his whole house in the Springs would have fit in the living room of this monstrosity. Daniel found it hard to argue with that.

*

The storm that had been chasing Jack all the way from Nashville finally caught him as he turned into his driveway. 'Thank goodness for garages,' he thought as he parked, locked up and made his way into the house. He stopped as he flipped on the light, surprised to find BJ sitting staring at him. “Boy, what are you doing up at this hour?” He dropped his bags and poured a glass of water. Following BJ, he found himself in the living room and not heading up stairs. As he walked in, he realized why: Daniel wasn't tucked up in their bed, snoring away. No, he was stretched out on the couch, covered with a quilt. 

Jack took a moment to contemplate his choices: as much as he loved Daniel, he was not physically capable of hauling his ass up those stairs. So it was either wake him and drag him to bed or leave him be. “Hmm,” Jack said softly as he set his glass down and headed up stairs.

A few minutes later, he trotted back down, wearing flannel pants, a T-shirt and a pair of ridiculous moose-head slippers, a gift from an ever-humorous Jaffa. Grabbing the quilt from the other couch, he set his phone down and settled in the recliner, gently sliding his hand onto Daniel's shoulder. “Honestly, the things I do for you,” he mumbled as he tried to get comfortable.

*

Jack waited until after breakfast (because no meaningful Daniel conversation could ever occur pre-coffee) and while they were walking BJ to broach the subject.

“So,” he said. “sleeping on the couch?”

Daniel looked everywhere but at Jack. “I... I just had a bad night and I couldn't sleep. Can we leave it at that?” He glanced over and frowned at Jack's expression.

“You know, I think. Not. You know you're gonna tell me so you might as well just spill it now.” Jack took Daniel's hand and planted it firmly in Jack's elbow.

Daniel sighed. “I couldn't sleep because it was too quiet and you weren't there and I got to thinking about the future...”

“About a future with just you and BJ in that house without me.”

“The more I thought about it, the more it scared me.” He stopped and turned to Jack. “I can't fathom doing this without you. What would I do?”

“I'll tell you what you would do. You'd get up, brush yourself off and get on with it because that's what you've always done.”

“Have you ever thought about it? What you'd do without me?”

“Well,” Jack drew Daniel into his arms. “I'd probably sit on the front porch and yell at all the neighborhood kids on their bikes. And then after awhile, I wouldn't yell as much and the kids would go around saying, 'Old man O'Neill isn't so bad after all.' Of course, I think by that time Thor will have figured out how to make us live until we're 200 and we'll be good and sick of each other by then.” He kissed Daniel lightly.

He smiled, as Jack intended. “Two hundred, huh?”

“At least. We'll end up baby-sitting Teal'c's great-grandchildren. And BJ is saying 'can we go now?'” They walked on down to the small park, to the designated dog area, let BJ run free while they sat on the bench. “We've both been there, Daniel. Stood at a grave and wondered why it wasn't us and not them. We didn't give up after Charlie and Sha're so we can't, we won't give up now. Too much to do.” 

“Yeah?” Daniel watched BJ cavort with his friends.

“Gotta get Dr. Marcum to ask Tishie out on a date,” Daniel sputtered at the thought of the bickering pair. “I'm telling you, there's some serious sparkage there. I'm working on getting Teal'c a medal.” Daniel knew that was a big bone of contention for Jack: that Teal'c had never gotten the thanks or recognition he deserved.

“Call former President Bartlet,” Daniel advised. “He's just sitting around the farm, getting bored. He'd love to stir something up. And he knows a few good lawyers, if it comes to that.”

“Hmm,” Jack leaned back and let the idea swirl around. The more he thought about it, the better he liked it. “You're devious, you know that.”

“And you like that about me.” Daniel replied smugly.

“No, I love that about you.” Jack whistled for BJ. “Let's head home, I've got a few calls to make.”

“Home it is then.”


End file.
